Oil-based fluid spills pose environmental and health hazards and therefore are very troublesome whether they occur on a body of water or on a floor. Oil-based fluids include crude oil, fuel oil and the like. Many methods, articles and apparatuses are known to pick up oil-based fluid spills. Unfortunately, they have shortcomings.
Often the first step in picking up an oil-based fluid spill is containment to inhibit or prevent the oil-based fluid spill from spreading. Containment booms are positioned around the oil-based fluid spill to try to contain the spill. When the spill occurs on water, the containment boom typically has a flotation element that floats on top of the water and extends above the oil-based fluid and a downwardly extending skirt that extends below the oil-based fluid and into the water. The flotation element can be made of Kapok, styrofoam, styrofoam coated with polyurethane and the like. The skirt can be made of rubberized canvas or other material that is oil-based fluid impermeable. The material of the skirt can cover the flotation element.
Unfortunately, the action of the water due to the waves or the current can force the oil-based fluid over the flotation element. Also, the action can cause the skirt to sway towards and away from the oil-based fluid spill. When the skirt sways away from the oil-based fluid spill the skirt can pull the oil-based fluid underneath the skirt and hence outside of the containment boom.
The flotation element is designed to have little or no capability to absorb oil-based fluid or water. If the flotation element did absorb oil-based fluid or water this would result in an increase in the weight of the containment boom which would then ride lower in the spill and more readily permit oil-based fluid to be forced thereover. Once the oil-based fluid is outside of the containment boom the containment boom is useless.
After the spill has been cleaned up, the containment boom must either be cleaned, which is a time consuming and expensive process, or disposed of as by burning or burial in a landfill. These possible options are undesirable as they create environmental and health hazards. Also, the boom can only be reused a relatively few number of times, e.g., less than about five times. Furthermore, the oil-based fluid coating the containment boom is not recovered for subsequent use and therefore becomes an environmental and health hazard.
For large oil-based fluid spills on water, skimmers are employed after the containment booms have been positioned. The skimmers pick up the oil-based fluid but also pick up relatively large amounts of water that contaminate the oil-based fluid to create a water and oil-based fluid mixture. If it is desired to use the oil-based fluid rather than waste it by disposing of it, the water contamination must be removed as by heating the which is a time consuming and expensive process. Alternatively, the water and oil-based fluid mixture can be disposed of which creates environmental and health hazards. Furthermore, the presence of the water in the mixture increases the volume of the material to be disposed of which increases the economic and environmental cost.
When the spill occurs on a solid surface, oil-based fluid absorbent clays can be utilized to contain and/or pick up the spill. The oil-based fluid absorbent clays can be packed in an oil-based fluid permeable cloth to make handling easier. Unfortunately, the oil-based fluid cannot be recovered from the clay and the clay containing oil-based fluid must be disposed of with the attendant problems.
The spill can be picked up using wipes. The use of wipes is especially advantageous for small spills on a solid surface and for oil-based fluid that has washed ashore. Unfortunately, these wipes have relatively poor absorption characteristics and absorb relatively little oil-based fluid for their own weight. Often, these wipes are only utilized once and then must be disposed of with the attendant disposal problems. Some wipes appear to be made of non-woven wood fibers.
As disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,744,638 to Rhodes it is known to use an oil mop made of strips of polypropylene extending from a rope to pick up oil. Unfortunately, the rope does not contribute to the absorption of oil or the flotation of the mop. Therefore, the rope requires extra work be utilized to dispense and recover the rope even though the rope does not contribute to oil absorption or flotation of the mop. Furthermore, the mop of the Rhodes patent can have oil which is released from the mop back onto the surface as the rope is pulled onto the barge. The release of oil lowers the efficiency of the mop.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,739,913 to Bogosian discloses a device that includes a container that does not absorb oil. Therefore, the container does not contribute to the absorption of oil or to the flotation of the device.
A method of recovering oil-based fluid so that the oil-based fluid can be recovered and used and an apparatus for performing the method that overcome at least some of the shortcomings of the prior art are desirable.